Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 29, 2008 at 10:52 AM
I needed to drop some film at Accent in Colorado Springs this morning and found out they are no longer going to develop E-6 starting in about 2 weeks. Looks like I'll have to start cooking it myself or I'll have to send it to Denver.
I know the slide printer, photcraft and DR5 are all running E-6, so there's no problem.
Has anyone tried doing E-6 on their own? I'm thinking about buying a processor to do B&W anyways and am thinking of buying one that can do E-6 also. The plumbing is roughed-in in my basement, so I could probably build a little processing area without issue. Any advice on home E-6 processing?
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 29, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Also, for volume I'm using about 300 sheets in a year right now. Is it possible to break even on the chemicals versus the cost of sending out film?
Posted by Kalin Wilson on August 29, 2008 at 11:19 AM
for me, unless you want to cook specific recipes aka Ritchie, messing with the mess wouldn't be worth it. Photo craft's turn around time is pretty good and I bet it'd be tough to compare on price due to their volume.
But if you want to play with chemicals, have at it and have fun!
Posted by Brent Murphy on August 29, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I've never processed E-6, but I know people who do. From what I understand, it's a lot more complicated than b&w. I believe things like temperature of chemicals are a lot more critical. I would probably just recommend sending it out.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 29, 2008 at 11:48 AM
I'm aware of the temperature issues. I've found a tabletop processor that is capable of maintaining the correct temperature for E-6, C-41 and B&W and can be programmed. With regards to the processor I'm looking at, the guy is only asking $100 for a processor that originally cost in the thousands. He doesn't have a 4X5 drum, but does have 35mm and 120/220 drums. Its not the more common Jobo, but the company is still in business and the parts are reasonable.
I suppose it would be worth it to try regardless. I have a bunch of sheets of 4X5 provia that I bought at 30 cents per sheet. It would certainly be cheap enough to trial and error for a while sending out the good film to photocraft or slideprinter.
The biggest concern that I have is availability of chemicals. The home kits that B&H sells are crazy expensive but I don't know how labs buy their chemicals. I've heard they can be a pain to ship.
Sounds like you want to give it a shot, for me the cost of chemicals, hassles of shipping them, the time involved, and working with chemicals, all made too much of a case in favor of using a lab. It would be a neat learning experience doing it though...
Posted by Don Grall on August 29, 2008 at 12:29 PM
I used to process E-6, both 35mm and 2-1/4 film but mostly 2-1/4. I made my own temperature bath and used a chemistry lab grade thermometer rather than the cheap ones that were available from photo stores. Depending on your environment, you may need a dust free drying cabinet. I didn't use one, instead, I wiped down everthing in the darkroom with a wet cloth before starting, then used a final rinse that had a surface-active agent to help repel water, then I gently wiped the film between clean negative-sponges, then used a hairdryer (low-setting) to speed up the drying process. Never scratched a frame and never had a dust issue. I had a 10ft x 6ft darkroom with weatherstripping on the door to eliminate light leaks. Actually, I still have the darkroom but now its my mat cutting, framing, camera storage room.
Would I do it again? No way! It's time consuming, environmentally unfriendly, and more expensive than having a large volume lab do my processing.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 29, 2008 at 12:35 PM
I'd like to hear from someone who has done it. That's all. I am interested in trying it, but I'm not exactly sure how the logistics of it would work out, and I'm not sure where to buy chemicals in a way that is more cost effective than the kits sold by B&H.
I've heard the rumors that its very difficult and that the chemicals will take 30 years off your life and that they can't be shipped.
But I've also heard that its easy so long as you are consistent and follow the directions. And I know the labs here get their chemicals from some place and I'm sure they don't order the mini kits from B&H.
I now use Reed in Denver after Qube stopped E6. Photocraft is also reputable. I stopped using Accent years ago because of serious quality control issues.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 29, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Thanks Don. I was writing my response as you were submitting.
I think you're much better off with nitrogen burst agitation and all the bells and whistles a processor would have. 300 sheets a year is a lot of time...
In all honesty, unless you're just hell-bent on doing this yourself, you're setting yourself up for major headaches with the chemistry. Forget the temp variations and the parts--what about disposal of the fluids when they're depleted? Some of that stuff you can't just dump down the drain without creating a major hazard for downstream consumers. Plus storage and handling. That alone is worth the price of a major lab.
Seriously, Reed and Photocraft are right in your backyard and they are both high quality, reasonably priced labs. I'd think it through again, IMO.
Discussion
11 repliesI know the slide printer, photcraft and DR5 are all running E-6, so there's no problem.
Has anyone tried doing E-6 on their own? I'm thinking about buying a processor to do B&W anyways and am thinking of buying one that can do E-6 also. The plumbing is roughed-in in my basement, so I could probably build a little processing area without issue. Any advice on home E-6 processing?
But if you want to play with chemicals, have at it and have fun!
I suppose it would be worth it to try regardless. I have a bunch of sheets of 4X5 provia that I bought at 30 cents per sheet. It would certainly be cheap enough to trial and error for a while sending out the good film to photocraft or slideprinter.
The biggest concern that I have is availability of chemicals. The home kits that B&H sells are crazy expensive but I don't know how labs buy their chemicals. I've heard they can be a pain to ship.
Sounds like you want to give it a shot, for me the cost of chemicals, hassles of shipping them, the time involved, and working with chemicals, all made too much of a case in favor of using a lab. It would be a neat learning experience doing it though...
Would I do it again? No way! It's time consuming, environmentally unfriendly, and more expensive than having a large volume lab do my processing.
I've heard the rumors that its very difficult and that the chemicals will take 30 years off your life and that they can't be shipped.
But I've also heard that its easy so long as you are consistent and follow the directions. And I know the labs here get their chemicals from some place and I'm sure they don't order the mini kits from B&H.
In all honesty, unless you're just hell-bent on doing this yourself, you're setting yourself up for major headaches with the chemistry. Forget the temp variations and the parts--what about disposal of the fluids when they're depleted? Some of that stuff you can't just dump down the drain without creating a major hazard for downstream consumers. Plus storage and handling. That alone is worth the price of a major lab.
Seriously, Reed and Photocraft are right in your backyard and they are both high quality, reasonably priced labs. I'd think it through again, IMO.
-D